Meet Islington’s new Young Mayor

Lydia Banjo (centre) has been elected as the new Young Mayor and Arkan Ali Akiil (right) as Deputy Young Mayor while Abubakar Finiin (left) is the new Member for Youth Parliament.

They were elected by their fellow youth councillors on Monday 18 February and will hold office for a year.

Lydia and Arkan will be responsible for representing Islington’s Youth Council at regional young mayor meetings as well as civic events and award ceremonies.

Lydia said: ‘I am very honoured to be given the opportunity by my fellow youth councillors. I am looking forward to making a difference and making our name as youth councillors much larger.’

Lydia and her fellow Youth Councillors

Arkan said: ‘Being elected has made me feel like I can really make a difference in the borough and I am looking forward to tackling knife crime and Islamaphobia.’

The Islington Youth Council is elected every two years but the positions of Young Mayor and Deputy Young Mayor change annually to give more of the Youth Council’s members the opportunity to hold office.

Youth councillors make sure the opinions of young people in Islington are heard by campaigning for the needs and interests of their young electorate. Youth councillors also work with council officers and elected members to ensure young people have a key role in planning and reviewing services.